Edwards, Obama & Clinton - Call for Support of Dodd's Fillibuster of Bad FISA Bill

[kpete]

Breaking: Edwards Calls for Support of Dodd's Fillibuster of Bad FISA Bill
by NCDem Amy
Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 09:02:40 PM PST

John Edwards came out this evening against the telecom immunity of the FISA bill, currently before Congress, and in full support of Senator Dodd's filibuster.

As if it's not enough that the Bush administration has been illegally spying on Americans. Now, the Bush administration wants retroactive immunity for telephone companies regardless of the legality of their actions in handing over record of Americans in Bush's illegal domestic spying. The The FISA Bill would grant immunity to any telecom company that may have violated the law by assisting the administration in carrying out its illegal wiretapping program by handing over their customers’ private records without a warrant.

The Dodd-Feingold Amendment would strip telcom immunity from the bill. If that fails, Senator Dodd will filibuster:

If after debate, the Senate appears ready to pass legislation granting telecom providers retroactive immunity I will use any and all legislative tools at my disposal, including a filibuster, to prevent this deeply flawed bill from becoming law.

It's official, Dodd will filibuster a bad FISA Bill.


Tonight, Edwards pledged his full support for Senator Dodd's filibuster.

John Edwards on FISA

John Edwards:

In Washington today, telecom lobbyists have launched a full-court press to win retroactive immunity for their illegal eavesdropping on American citizens.

Granting retroactive immunity will let corporate law-breakers off the hook and hamstring efforts to learn the truth about Bush's illegal spying program.

"It's time for Senate Democrats to show a little backbone and stand up to George W. Bush and the corporate lobbyists. They should do everything in their power -- including joining Senator Dodd's efforts to filibuster this legislation -- to stop retroactive immunity. The Constitution should not be for sale at any price."


more at:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/1/24/0240/82104/379/442026

UPDATE

Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd (D) once again will lead efforts to strip Senate legislation of the telco amnesty, while Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) appears ready once again to back the Bush administration and its Republican allies.


Thankfully, the two leading Democratic presidential candidates are siding with Dodd.


Asked for comment, the campaign of Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) provided a statement from the senator: “I strongly oppose retroactive immunity in the FISA bill. No one should get a free pass to violate the basic civil liberties of the American people — not the president of the United States, and not the telecommunications companies that fell in line with his warrantless surveillance program <… T>hat is why I am proud to stand with Sen. Dodd and a grassroots movement of Americans who are standing up for our civil liberties and the rule of law.”


Likewise, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (N.Y.) campaign reaffirmed to me the senator’s opposition to telco amnesty, and her support for a filibuster, if necessary.

more at:
http://thehill.com/markos-moulitsas/scare-tactics-2008-01-23.html

[Teaser]

1. Hilary and O better back this up.

Enough of this bullshit. And when do we strip Reid of his Senate Leadership post anyway?

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

4. Exactly. If either of them do anything but the RIGHT thing, which is NOT passing a bill with

telco immunity, I will be roaring into to GD-P telling their supporters to do something anatomically impossible to themeselves.

I expect the two presidential candidates who are current sitting US Senators to WALK THE WALK. We should expect no less. MKJ

And, if they do the right thing and use their enormous influence to get rid of that provision, I will go into GD-P singing their praises. Dodd's filibuster was inspirational. Let's see what the two Senators do about this.

MKJ

[Le Taz Hot]

Unfortunately, WE don't strip them of anything.

The members of the Senate are the only ones who can do that and currently the Democrats in power are the DLC "centrists" and Reid is their lackey. With very few exceptions, people/groups don't voluntarily give up power.

[Teaser]

7. Well, yes, you had to bring reality into it, didn't you

party pooper

[Le Taz Hot]

8. Dangit I hate it when I do that!

'ere <insert passing of funny-looking cigarette). :smoke:

[fasttense]

2. Just like Pinochet in Chile

Now that the "free trade" thieves and con artists have stolen as much as they can, have dumped the bill for the theft on the American citizen in the form of a huge budget deficit, have murdered, tortured and blackmailed their enemies into submission, they pass laws to prevent people from putting them in jail.

It is the next logical step when greed and "free trade" are forced down the throats of Democracies.

With the religiously insane dancing Supremes all ready to support their neocon masters, current laws will have little impact. The Supremes will just not allow any of their lovers to be held accountable for trashing the Constitution.

But even so it's worth fighting for, in the hopes that the corrupt and politically biased Supremes will eventually die. No one lives forever. Perhaps twenty years from now, we will see some justice. And the bushes might not escape into death as did Pinochet.

[annabanana]

3. Fantastic... but I fear that this principled stand will just give the

media machine another reason not to let him talk unframed by bobbleheads. The telecoms and the corpomedia are thick as thieves.

[fasttense]

5. No matter what happens, the corporate media and propaganda machine

will spin it to make it look bad for anyone who opposes the thieves and con artist. If you are going to be called bad names and made to look like a fool no matter what you do, you might as well stand up for principal, justice and the Constitution.

It's kind of like devil worship. If you believe in the devil, you most probably believe in a god. So you might as well join the side of good instead of the side of evil.

[KharmaTrain]

6. About Damn Time...

IMHO, Edwards should have been out in front of this at the outset...an issue shared universally by Democrats...we all hate it. Kudos for Senator Dodd for standing up and still standing up. Needless to say I have less than overwhelmed with how the other two candidates have handled this thing...all but afraid to go near it.

It'll be interesting to watch this debate play out next week as I suspect the volume from the netroots will be on high (and I'll be there screaming with the rest) to stand up. Hopefully Reid lives up to his promise of an up or down vote...forcing the GOOP to fillibuster...and then, let 'em.

Since we know this regime will never compromise...repugnicans will attempt to use these issues for political points, the game here is either to defeat their little ploys or delay them...reverse the game on boooshie and let the clock run out on him.

[Faryn Balyncd]

9. Edwards for President!! . . . Dodd for MAJORITY LEADER!!!!!